Baseball, Blood, Sex
by James-h00rs
Summary: James's POV of the baseball scene and what happened between him and Victoria before he left to hunt Bella. A little raunchy vampire action at the end of this story, but nothing too graphic.


**Title: **Baseball, Blood, Sex

**Word Count: **3,381

**Rating: **M

**Summary: **James's POV of the baseball scene and what happened between him and Victoria before he left to hunt Bella. A little raunchy vampire action at the end of this story, but nothing too graphic.

_**A/N: **__All recognisable characters, places etc. are property of Stephanie Meyer and/or Summit Entertainment. The author is in no way affiliated with Stephanie Meyer and/or Summit Entertainment. No copyright infringement intended._

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We would have continued north into Canada had it not been for the strange scent that caught my attention as we moved through a densely wooded area.

I stopped for a moment, trying to place it. It was vampire, that much was obvious, yet it was slightly different to the usual scent of our kind. Underneath the light, pleasant aroma that all vampires possessed to help lure in their prey, there was a thick, musky scent that was vaguely animalistic. It was mixed in with the heavy, moist scent of the thunderstorm that had rolled in earlier this afternoon.

"James?"

I turned when Victoria's voice brought me out of my reverie. She flitted towards me across the bracken, her eyes alert from any danger and her vivid hair burning against the dark-green forest like a beacon.

"What is it?" she asked me, her eyes darting around to try and locate any danger.

"I'm not sure," I said slowly. Now that I had caught the scent, my curiosity was piqued. What could make vampires smell that way? I inhaled deeply, drawing as much of the scent in as I possibly could. By doing so I deduced that there was a large group of our kind just downwind of us. If they had been upwind I would have been able to pick out individual scents but, as it stood, I was unable to.

"James?" Victoria questioned me again. "What is going on?"

Laurent, who had continued moving when I'd stopped, was making his way back towards Victoria and I. His dark red eyes were questioning.

"I thought we were moving onto Canada," he said politely. "Has there been a change of plans, James?"

Laurent had long ago learnt that, while I would let him play leader, it was still my coven and I made the decisions. If he was too much of a coward to wander on his own, then he could face the consequences of that choice and defer to my authority.

Victoria hissed at him. He ignored her.

Laurent and Victoria had come to exist in a state of mutual ignorance of each other. Laurent hated the fact that Victoria, a woman, had any kind of authority within the coven and Victoria just hated Laurent. There had been a time when they used to bicker whenever they were within sight of each other. Thinking it would pass, I hadn't stepped in. Then of course, Laurent had over-stepped the boundaries. There were certain things that new members of a coven just didn't do to the leader's mate. Slapping them across the face was one of them.

"Maybe," I said, giving Laurent a non-committal answer.

A moment later the decision was made for us.

An almighty clap of thunder shook the heavens and a baseball came hurtling through the trees towards Laurent. Reflexively, he reached up and caught it. He stared bemusedly at the ball for a moment before turning to Victoria and me.

"We appear to have stumbled onto a baseball game," he said, as if it wasn't already obvious.

"Then I think we'd better return the ball," I said.

We fell automatically into our standard formation: Laurent at the point with Victoria and I flanking him on either side. We moved slower than we usually would when approaching members of our own species. Usually, we had numbers on our side when we met other vampires, but this coven was unusually large and none of us were willing to risk appearing aggressive in this situation.

As we moved forward, I heard a melodic voice yell out "Stop!"

It sounded strangely familiar. I cast my mind back to where I could have heard it before. But nowhere in either my weak human memories or my sharp, distinct vampire memories could I place this voice. Although it did sound a little bit like... but that was impossible. If she was still alive she would have been feral by now, not civilised.

As my coven emerged from the trees, I was finally able to see the vampires who had such an unusual scent. There were eight of them, all grouped in a tight formation. I guessed that the eighth vampire, a small, brunette female, was a newborn as she was in the center of the formation. A position where she was most protected and could be easily restrained if the need arose.

My eyes took in the seven other vampires surrounding her.

I was surprised to see that Carlisle Cullen, the preacher's son from the 1660s, was standing at the front of their group. I hadn't thought I'd see him again after our brief meeting in the sewers of London over three hundred years ago. I felt a smirk play around my lips. Carlisle Cullen and his party of vampire hunters had come across the coven I was living within the sewers beneath London in 1666. In those days, when monsters were thought to really exist, creatures such as vampires often had to hide during the day and only hunt at night. I wouldn't have been with the coven of sewer rats if I hadn't been lonely for my own kind. While I was a wanderer by nature, over six hundred years alone had made me desperate for company.

I wouldn't have bothered with Carlisle if I hadn't been so thirsty, nor would I have killed two men and taken a third if it hadn't been for Victoria, who I'd met in the sewers beneath London. Wild, savage and newborn, the rest of the coven hadn't been able to control her nor had they been strong enough to destroy her. It was all they could do to keep her in the sewers and out of sight. I'd been fascinated with her and, after a little coaxing and 'gifts' to show my appreciation, she'd begun to trust me.

By the time I'd bitten Carlisle, Victoria could say my name, had told me her name and could string a few simple words together. I'd taken her away with me to the New World after giving her the third man I'd taken from the vampire hunting party to her. Over time I'd come to love her not only for her beauty, but for everything she was. I was devoted to her with every fibre of my being. Victoria. _My _Victoria. Of course, her gift came in useful too, especially with my preferred past-time. She was perfect for me in every way. I could only hope she felt the same way about me.

I'd become distracted. I drew my eyes back to the coven before me and continued my analysis. The two vampires flanking Carlisle Cullen both looked to be fighters. One was tall, lean and honey-blond. What skin of his I could was covered in vampire bites, indicating that he was a formidable opponent in battle. How many of his own kind had he taken down? The other was huge, massively built with close cropped dark hair. I took a moment to calculate his strength, guessing it would be close to that of the average newborn vampire. If push came to shove then I would watch that one, while any member of my coven might have the upper hand on him in agility, one false move and we'd be dead. The final male in the group stood closest to the brunette female. He had copper coloured hair and didn't have the look of a fighter, but his hard expression told me that he had some kind of connection to the brunette. Perhaps they were mates.

Aside from the newborn brunette, there were three other females in the group. One was an ostentatious blonde with a hard sneer. She looked down her nose at us, as if we had no right to take up one second of her precious time. Her eyes rested on Victoria and the sneer became more pronounced. My lip rolled back slightly and I fought back the urge to hiss at the blonde bitch. Victoria was worth more than a thousand of her. The tallest of the three was a caramel haired woman with a heart shaped face and a gentle expression. I sensed immediately that she was not a fighter and would be easy to take down if need be. The final female was tiny, almost pixie-like, with black hair that was cropped short and stuck up in all directions. I surveyed her face and nearly gave a start.

It was Mary Alice.

Mary Alice from 1920.

Mary Alice from the Royal Asylum for the Insane in Biloxi.

Mary Alice, my singer. The only hunt I ever lost.

So my earlier assumption had been right. It had been her voice I'd heard. She'd obviously retained her ability to see into the future with her transformation.

My analysis of the coven took less than a minute. One feature they all had in common was, instead of the red eyes that our kind possessed, their eyes were a deep gold. Strange. It was a mystery I would solve once friendly conversation had been established.

Laurent hold up their baseball. "I believe this belongs to you."

He threw it to Carlisle who reached up and caught it. He nodded to Laurent. "Thank you."

"I am Laurent," Lauren introduced himself to Carlisle. "And this is Victoria and James."

Both of us acknowledged the large coven before us with a brief nod as Laurent said our names.

"I'm Carlisle, this is my family," Carlisle told us, gesturing at the seven vampires with him.

Carlisle continued speaking and, while I registered what he was saying - something about our hunting being a problem - my attention was drawn to the brunette female. She was standing close to the copper haired male, her face turned away from us and her eyes down, as if she didn't want us to see...

The male's eyes were intense and sharp. He watched me with a mixture of fear and anger. What did he have to fear from me? I would not attack his mate unless she attacked Victoria or myself.

"Our apologies," Laurent said in response to Carlisle's concern about our recent hunting. "We didn't realise the territory had been claimed."

Nor did I particularly care. I suspected Laurent didn't either, but he'd always been courteous when it came to delicate situations. Had he born during a less volatile period in French history he would have made an excellent diplomat. My eyes flickered to Victoria and I saw that she shared my feelings in regard to the already claimed territory.

"We maintain a permanent residence nearby," Carlisle explained. I was surprised, but didn't show it. Permanent. The mystery in regards to Carlisle's coven deepened. First they had an animalistic scent about them, then they had golden eyes and now we found out that they maintained a permanent residence in the area. How did they manage...?

Then it came to me. But the idea itself was so repulsive I had to fight not to gag reflexively. Surely, _surely_, even _Carlisle_ would not stoop so low as to drink animal blood? Would he?

"Really?" Laurent was less controlled in his surprise. He glanced towards me, obviously hoping for some direction. He was out of his depth. But I wasn't interested in helping him out. My attention was drawn back to the brunette. There was something wrong with her, something that set her apart from the vampires surrounding her. I just couldn't figure out what it was. I gave Victoria a glance, wondering if she had picked up anything strange about the girl. Victoria appeared to be ignorant of any inconsistencies between the girl and the rest of the strange coven before us.

"We won't be a problem anymore," Laurent told Carlisle, obviously realising I was going to give him no help. "We were just passing through."

"The humans were tracking us, but we led them east," Victoria said. The sneer in her voice was evident. I felt a rush of pride, affection and desire for her course through my body; she was always good at addressing lesser creatures. "You should be safe," she went on patronizingly.

Carlisle nodded. "Excellent."

"So," Laurent said, obviously trying to break through the slightly awkward facade that the conversation had taken on, "could you use three more players?"

I saw Carlisle's gaze flick to the bronze haired male and the strange brunette before his eyes returned to us.

"Sure," he said. "Why not? A few of us were leaving, you can take their place."

I instantly knew he was talking about the pair in the centre of their formation. Why were they leaving? Did we threaten them somehow?

"We'll bat first," Carlisle said, throwing the ball back to Laurent. Victoria reached over and caught it before he could.

"I'm the one with the wicked curve ball," she said.

"Well, I think we can handle that," the honey-blonde male at the front said. Laurent laughed, finding himself a little more at ease as the situation became less tense.

"We shall see," Victoria said as she moved towards the pitcher's plate, Laurent close behind her. I didn't make to follow just yet. The mystery of the brunette and her mate was irritating me. I watched them for a few seconds longer before turning away to follow my coven mates.

The wind changed.

A scent like nothing I had ever smelled before permeated the air around me. It was sweet and floral, warm and alive. It promised to be nourishing, to cool the mild burn in my throat. Now I understood why the brunette seemed so different to the other vampires. It was because she wasn't a vampire at all.

She was human.

And she was mine.

I took a deep breath in, letting the delicious scent fill my nostrils.

"You brought a snack," I said. I turned back to face the seven vampire in front of me. A snarl escaped me as I slumped forward into a hunting crouch, my teeth bared. The bronze haired male reacted within an instant. He crouched too, a snarl ripping up from his chest as he moved to defend the girl. Oh, this was beautiful. I could see a game in the making, a game I'd been longing to play again. The hunt was on.

I heard Laurent give a startled exclamation and was aware that Victoria was at my side, ready to give me any support I needed. In front of us the other six other vampires had taken up defensive positions in front of the human. The odds were stacked against me and I wouldn't have it any other way. This was a challenge I would relish in completing.

"The girl is with us," Carlisle said firmly. "I think it best if you leave."

"I can see the game is over," Laurent said quietly, acknowledging Carlisle's less than subtle threat. "We'll go now." he began to back away.

I didn't move. If he wanted to run then so be it. Unlike him I was no coward.

"James," he said warningly.

It took me barely a second to realise that, if I identified myself as the leader of the coven by refusing to follow Laurent's orders, it would destroy the perfectly crafted charade that we worked so hard to pull off. I straightened up, my teeth still bared. Victoria followed my lead and we began to walk away.

Laurent walked backwards for a few moments to make sure that we actually were leaving before he turned his back on us and Carlisle Cullen's coven and walked slightly ahead of Victoria and I. I reached out to put my arm around Victoria's shoulders, pressing her close to my side. Her arm wrapped around my waist and I pressed my lips to her hair. I found the shell of her ear underneath her flaming locks and grazed it with my teeth. I felt her shiver. She knew what was coming. I turned to face in the direction we were walking in again, keeping my arm tightly around her all the while. There was something we needed to do before I went on the hunt. Something we always did before I went on the hunt.

Victoria moaned as I sank my teeth into her shoulder near her collarbone. Her arms wrapped tightly around me and I felt her nails rake my back. I removed my teeth from her diamond hard flesh and trailed kisses along her collarbone, lashing her skin occasionally with my tongue.

"James," she whispered my name. "Oh, James!"

My lips slid up her throat until they found her mouth. She opened her lips and I slid my tongue inside. Her tongue met mine and they danced as we kissed. I ran my hands through her flaming hair, spreading it across the dark brown forest floor.

"Beautiful," I whispered as I drew my mouth away from hers. "Exquisite, lovely, wonderful..."

She dragged my mouth back to hers and out tongues resumed their dance.

I moved my hand down her body until it was resting at the intimate place between her legs. I stroked the wet heat of her core and she moaned and spread her legs a little wider for me.

"Are you ready for me now, my darling?" I crooned to her. "Are you ready? Do you want me?"

"Yes," she said, her eyes rolling back in her head. "Yes, James I want you. I want you now!"

I buried my shaft in her wet folds and she gave a muffled cry. I groaned in satisfaction as encased me fully within her body. I began to move to a steady rhythm inside her.

"I love you, James," she said over and over. "I love you, I love you, oh, God, I love you!"

I thrust three times more before she found her release. She came with a hiss, her body arching up as her juices spilled all over my organ, still buried deep within her. Watching her come sent me over the edge and I groaned and thrust hard into her as I felt my own release.

We lay in each other's arms for a few moments. Panting out of habit rather than out of need.

"Victoria, beautiful," I said to her, bringing my lips to her ear. "I need you to help me with my hunt. Can you do that for me, darling? Can you help me?"

"Yes," she said, her ruby irises staring deeply into mine. "I can do that for you, James."

I whispered the instructions into her ear and she nodded her acquiescence.

"Yes, James," she told me, running her fingers down the side of my face as we lay there. "I can do that."

I kissed her gently so as not to send both of us into a frenzy of passion and then reached for my clothes. Once we were both dressed I took her in my arms and kissed her, deeply and passionately. She responded in kind until I pulled away. I ran my fingers down the side of her face.

"Call me when you have the information, my love," I told her.

"I will," she said.

With one more brief kiss, I was gone, following the scent that had so entranced me in the baseball field.

If I'd known the fate that awaited me, and the fate that would befall Victoria just over a year later, I would surely have stayed with her, locked in her arms. Safe, loved, together.

Forever.


End file.
